1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to novel cannabinoid agonists and antagonists. In particular, the invention provides cannabinoid agonists and antagonists in which a sulfonamide moiety is incorporated into the side chain.
2. Background of the Invention
The presence of the alkyl side chain of tetrahydrocannabinoids is known to be critical in order for this class of compounds to exert their agonists effects. Numerous alterations of the side chain have been carried out in order to explore its role in cannabinoid action, and several cannabinoid antagonists have been developed as a result. However, all currently known cannabinoid antagonists also elicit “inverse agonism”. In other words, not only do they bind to a cannabinoid receptor and block the ability of other compounds to bind and exert their effect, they activate the receptor in a manner opposite to that of an agonist resulting in effects opposite to that of agonists. Inverse agonism can be an undesirable characteristic in antagonists. Therefore, in addition to an ongoing need to develop new agonists and antagonists of cannabinoids, there is also an ongoing need to develop cannabinoid antagonists lacking inverse agonists properties, i.e. “silent” antagonists.